Sign in with FacebookBoreham WWII USAF 394th Bomb Group Memorials
This was one of ten operational wartime airfields established during WWII and ended up as having the shortest life span. Work commenced in May 1943 on the construction of this airfield built by 861st US Aviat. Engion. Bn. in 1943 four mile NE of Chelmsford and which lies in the Essex parishes of Little Waltham and Boreham. It was handed over to the American's of the 394th Bomb Group in March 1944 who flew 99 combat missions in B26 Martin Marauder twin engined medium bombers until July 1944.They subsequently moved to France, Holland and finally Germany. On 24th March 1945, 81 Dakotas of the 315th Troop Carrier Group of the 9th USAAF used the airfield to ferry 1300 paratroopers of the 6th British Airborne Division to the drop zone on the Rhine crossing (Operation Varsity) at Wesel. Later that year the airfield was closed.
The area of the airfield has been subjected to extensive gravel extraction and all that now remains of the former airfield is the control tower, used by the Essex Police Helicopter Unit and the Essex Air Ambulance, a T2 hanger used by the Ford Rally Cars for storage, a short length of one of the three runways and some of the taxiways and perimeter track.
Two memorials of the wartime days exist on the airfield
